Reverse The Cuts To Bulk Billing In Paterson

In January 2020, the electorate of Paterson which includes Kurri Kurri, Maitland, Raymond Terrace and Port Stephens was rezoned from regional to metropolitan on the Department of Health's Rural, Remote and Metropolitan Area (RRMA) scale. This change reduces the incentive for doctors to bulk bill and has forced many practices to stop offering bulk billing.

This is not good enough. Tell the Prime Minister to reverse the decision to rip bulk billing out of communities that rely on it. Sign my petition.

According to the Morrison Government, areas like Kurri Kurri, Maitland, Raymond Terrace and Nelson Bay are metropolitan. I disagree. 

From January 2020, changes to the Department of Health's Rural, Remote and Metropolitan Areas scale means doctors who practice in the electorate of Paterson will lose their incentive to bulk bill. Many practices have made the difficult decision to stop bulk billing altogether.

Paterson is not metropolitan, and so many people in our community rely on bulk billing to access medical treatment. These changes will mean more people will present to the emergency department of local hospitals, putting more pressure on our doctors and nurses. 

Help me save bulk billing in Paterson by signing my petition. I will take your messages to Canberra and tell the Prime Minister these changes will have severe consequences in our community.